# Awake but can't move **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 4, 2015, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623 "2015-06-04T13:23:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/1 "2015-06-04T13:23:39Z")
I haven’t experienced this since I was in my 30’s. I would feel like I was wide awake but could not make anything move, I couldn’t even get my eyes to open. Doctor said I was simply not as awake as I thought I was. If I could get a toe to wiggle or a finger I knew I was on my way but sometimes it might take 5 min to get something to move. ``` How common is this? ``` ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/2 "2015-06-04T13:32:22Z")
[Sleep paralysis](http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Sleep-paralysis/Pages/Introduction.aspx). It’s a thing. According to that link it’s more common in teenagers and young adults, and I don’t recall having any incidences of it since my mid-20s. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/3 "2015-06-04T13:34:09Z")
Sleep Paralysis is pretty darn common. It is caused by a demon sitting on your chest. > **[Sleep Paralysis](https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-paralysis)** > > Have you ever been dozing off or waking up and unable to move or speak? The experts at WebMD explain the phenomenon of sleep paralysis. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/4 "2015-06-04T13:35:14Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > [Sleep paralysis](http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Sleep-paralysis/Pages/Introduction.aspx). It’s a thing. > > According to that link it’s more common in teenagers and young adults, and I don’t recall having any incidences of it since my mid-20s. Yeah, I used to get it reasonably often. I’ve hit forty now and get it less often, but still now and again. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/5 "2015-06-04T13:40:08Z")
It’s rather frightening when you first experience it. After a few episodes you know full-well what’s happening and just roll with it. I find it quite interesting when it happens now. It’s like your mind is fully awake but can’t control your body at all. Very strange experience and yet kinda fun after you break out of it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/6 "2015-06-04T13:45:01Z")
Used to happen to me, but for maybe 30 seconds to a minute tops. Probably ended by the time I was 30. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/7 "2015-06-04T13:50:29Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Sleep Paralysis is pretty darn common. > It is caused by a demon sitting on your chest. > > [http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleep-paralysis](http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleep-paralysis) Here’s a [handy picture of one](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/596/what-causes-sleep-paralysis). ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/8 "2015-06-04T15:23:19Z")
Used to happen to me quite a bit. Good old-fashioned nightmare fuel! I never thought it was any kind of fun. It stopped happening as I got older, thankfully. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/9 "2015-06-04T15:26:25Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > Used to happen to me quite a bit. Good old-fashioned nightmare fuel! I never thought it was any kind of fun. > > It stopped happening as I got older, thankfully. Me, too. It would happen quite frequently, and I never could just “roll with it” as suggested up thread. Each time it was as if for the first time. I still get it once in a blue moon, but it used to happen a lot when I was in college. And it happened more when taking naps during the day than with “regular” nightly sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/10 "2015-06-04T16:11:00Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > It is caused by a demon sitting on your chest Or a cat. Which is pretty much the same thing as a demon. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/11 "2015-06-04T16:12:20Z")
I always thought it was because my resting blood pressure in the morning was extremely low, is it possible a lot of young men have extreme low blood pressure while resting. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/12 "2015-06-04T16:17:30Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I always thought it was because my resting blood pressure in the morning was extremely low, is it possible a lot of young men have extreme low blood pressure while resting. A lot of young men probably have diverted blood to one particular part of their body. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/13 "2015-06-04T16:19:37Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > Or a cat. Which is pretty much the same thing as a demon. Not quite, demons can have mercy. > [@John\_Mace](#): > > A lot of young men probably have diverted blood to one particular part of their body. 😃 Surprising, I know, but I never noticed any wood while I was in the grip of one of these terrors. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/14 "2015-06-04T16:26:47Z")
My most frightening episode of sleep paralysis happened when I drowsily woke up facing toward the wall, with my girlfriend lovingly laying against my back. Like the big spoon, essentially. Except I immediately and simultaneously realized that 1) I was completely paralyzed and 2) my girlfriend wasn’t in bed with me that night - we didn’t live together and she was at her own house. So I fought with myself for about a minute trying to force myself to turn over to find out what horrifying monster was laying against me in bed. It was a really awful experience. When the paralysis wore off I finally turned over and I was completely alone… so either the monster disappeared in a poof or I just imagined the feeling of someone resting on my body. Seriously though, I highly recommend against combining sleep paralysis with the feeling that something has gotten into bed with you while you slept. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/15 "2015-06-04T18:08:00Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > My most frightening episode of sleep paralysis happened when I drowsily woke up facing toward the wall, with my girlfriend lovingly laying against my back. Like the big spoon, essentially. > > Except I immediately and simultaneously realized that 1) I was completely paralyzed and 2) my girlfriend wasn’t in bed with me that night - we didn’t live together and she was at her own house. > > So I fought with myself for about a minute trying to force myself to turn over to find out what horrifying monster was laying against me in bed. It was a really awful experience. > > When the paralysis wore off I finally turned over and I was completely alone… so either the monster disappeared in a poof or I just imagined the feeling of someone resting on my body. > > Seriously though, I highly recommend against combining sleep paralysis with the feeling that something has gotten into bed with you while you slept. Excellent! Let’s make the terror worse! Why not go whole hog and make the thing in bed with a clown! I’d surely die in my sleep, screaming silently for eternity. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/16 "2015-06-04T20:41:44Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > Seriously though, I highly recommend against combining sleep paralysis with the feeling that something has gotten into bed with you while you slept. I used to have this happen. Discussions of sleep paralysis often mention the feeling that someone is there in the room with you. (In the extreme cases, this is sometimes argued as the cause of “alien abduction” claims.) In my case, it was typically an unseen large wild animal. One time, I thought some large fuzzy wild animal (like a moutain lion maybe) had pounced on me. Another time, it was a large monkey that jumped out from a hole I thought I saw in the ceiling. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/17 "2015-06-04T21:01:38Z")
Once I was absolutely certain a raccoon had somehow gotten into the house and was sitting on my chest. Classic nightmare. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/18 "2015-06-04T21:08:17Z")
The “Night Hag” hallucination is remarkably convincing. It really does feel like someone is there in the room. I’ve watched Ninjas scuttle along up on top of my bookshelves. Seen 'em clearly. Even through there isn’t eight inches of space, and the shelves wouldn’t support 50 pounds. I once saw a gigantic tarantula on my ceiling, and jumped up and smooshed it with my pillow. Except…I was lying on my tummy the whole time. Both the visual hallucination and the physical action were completely in my head. The sensation of hatred and enmity seems constant. Whatever it is out there, it hates me. I have no idea why the hallucination seems to manipulate emotions that precisely. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/19 "2015-06-04T22:30:58Z")
The “Night Hag” is a function of “Night Terrors” - which are very different than run-of-the-mill nightmares. My first experience with sleep paralysis was before I knew such a thing was possible. Since I live alone, the condition would be fatal rather quickly. I decided that the only choice was to try to get back to sleep. I am cool under pressure. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623/20 "2015-06-04T22:50:58Z")
These comments make me laugh. I’ve experienced just about all of these situations during sleep paralysis. And yes, they can certainly be frightening. I think it’s happened to me so often now that I know I’m dreaming and just “roll with it,” once again. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-but-cant-move/721623.md?page=2)